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Spain adopts Canada’s Towards Sustainable Mining initiative

March 06, 2018

CONFEDEM becomes the fifth national mining association outside of Canada to adopt TSM

The national mining association of Spain, CONFEDEM, has announced that it will adopt the Towards Sustainable Mining® (TSM®) initiative, a mining sustainability standard developed by the Mining Association of Canada (MAC).

Through this partnership, CONFEDEM will integrate TSM with its Gestión Minero Metalúrgica Sostenible (GMMS) standard. This will add TSM elements, including external verification of site-level performance and the establishment of an independent community of interest advisory panel to oversee the program. While CONFEDEM will tailor its performance areas so that they reflect the unique aspects of its domestic mining sector, they will strongly align with those of Canada.

The signing ceremony involving representatives of MAC and CONFEDEM (Confederación nacional de empresarios de la minería y de la metalurgia) was held today during the PDAC International Convention in Toronto.

CONFEDEM has become the fifth national mining association outside of Canada to adopt TSM, underscoring the program’s growing global presence. The national mining associations of Finland (FinnMin), Argentina (Cámara Argentina de Empresarios Mineros), Botswana (Botswana Chamber of Mines), and the Philippines (Chamber of Mines of the Philippines) are currently implementing TSM.

MAC and its members launched TSM in 2004. Implementation of the program is mandatory for all MAC members’ Canadian operations, but many voluntarily apply it to their international sites. MAC freely shares TSM with other countries seeking tools to improve the environmental and social performance of their mining industries, including engagement with civil society and enhanced transparency and accountability.

TSM requires mining companies to annually assess their facilities’ performance in key areas, including tailings management, community outreach, safety and health, biodiversity conservation, crisis management, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions management, and the prevention of child and forced labour. The results are freely available to the public and are externally-verified every three years to ensure what has been reported is accurate.

To ensure TSM reflects the expectations of civil society and industry stakeholders, it was designed and continues to be shaped by an independent, multi-interest advisory panel. As part of its implementation, CONFEDEM will implement a similar advisory body to provide this valuable oversight function.

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“Adopting TSM and incorporating it into our GMMS standard will generate two parallel benefits. It will allow us to draw from Canada’s deep and broad experience in sustainable mining practices while enabling us to engage effectively with civil society, build trust and work collaboratively to continue building a sustainable mining industry,” stated Vicente G. Peinador, General Director, CONFEDEM.

“CONFEDEM’s adoption of TSM builds on its already significant work in driving sustainability performance within Spain’s mining sector through its GMMS standard. Through this partnership, CONFEDEM will integrate world-leading TSM elements into its current system, including external verification of results and community oversight. We’re proud to share our expertise in sustainable mining practices with countries that share the same vision,” stated Pierre Gratton, President and CEO, MAC.

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ABOUT CONFEDEM

Representing the Spanish mining and metallurgy sector in Spain, the Confederación nacional de empresarios de la minería y de la metalurgia (CONFEDEM) is a non-profit, independent institution representing the sector’s interests with both the Spanish government and European Commission. CONFEDEM also coordinates the sector’s socio-economic activities in Spain. CONFEDEM’s membership includes all metallic and non-metallic mining and metallurgy companies and the majority of industrial minerals companies in Spain. Its members include both national and international companies such as MAXAM, ICL, First Quantum, Trafigura & Mubadala, Rio Tinto Atalaya Mining, Orvana Minerals, Freeport McMoran, Berkeley Minera Spain and others. Please visit www.confedem.com.

ABOUT MAC

The Mining Association of Canada is the national organization for the Canadian mining industry. Its members account for most of Canada’s production of base and precious metals, uranium, diamonds, metallurgical coal and mined oil sands, and are actively engaged in mineral exploration, mining, smelting, refining and semi-fabrication. Please visit www.mining.ca.

ABOUT TSM

The Towards Sustainable Mining® initiative is a sustainability standard developed by the Mining Association of Canada. Mining companies are expected to report annually on the implementation of each protocol. In addition, their performance results are evaluated by an external auditor every three years. Please visit www.mining.ca/tsm.